Episode #65: Conservation Through Cacao with Alejandro Solano

Summit For Her is a celebration at the intersection of women in running and sustainability in sport! We are excited to join forces for International Women's Day on March 8th, 2026 with Trail Sisters, Emmaus Run Inn & HOKA. We are not only celebrating women in the sport, but also Trail Sisters 10th anniversary! As a women-owned organization, it has always been a priority for Trail Sisters to break down barriers for women in trail running. That combined with The Running Kind's passion for connecting runners to more sustainably driven solutions lives at the intersection of feminism in sport. AND NOW we are excited to give you a day to celebrate that with us! Gina Lucrezi has always been stubborn and bold, so when it came to advocating for women's rights and equality in the outdoors, she was bound to make changes. As the founder of Trail Sisters, Gina's goal is to grow participation and opportunity in women's trail running. Gina is also County Commissioner for Chaffee County, Colorado, an active member and former Vice President of Chaffee County Search & Rescue - North, and Race Director for the Lake Sonoma 100k, 50k, and Trail Sisters Half Marathon. Erin Azar is a self-proclaimed struggle runner. She started her journey in running after having her third child and has quickly become a social media personality and inspiration for runners all over the world. She is the host of "Non-Members Only" podcast where she is notorious for her honesty and transparency in her run journey. Sharon Tejada is heavily involved in the Philadelphia running community. She is the Treasurer and a run leader of Queer Run, which empowers LGBTQIA+ runners to show up authentically, connect in community and thrive in the sport, from pavement, to trail, to starting lines. She is also the Treasurer of Women in Ultrarunning, and runs with many other run clubs in the city. Sharon earned her RRCA coaching certification through the Game Changers program, which brings in more Women of Color as Certified Run Coaches, thus redefining who is seen as the experts and leaders in the run industry. She is the owner and coach of Purple Runner Performance, LLC, where she empowers athletes of all abilities to thrive in their training through personalized coaching that fits running into life, instead of life into running.

This eipsode is brought to you from... Ecuador! This episode is a taste of our recent trip with EcoEndurance to Ecuador. In this episode, Alejandro allowed us to record some of the history of conservation at Mashpi Chocolate which the group visits on Day 2 of the EcoEndurance tour in the cloud forest. Alejandro is the reserve's ecologist. In addition to having in-depth knowledge of everything related to cocoa cultivation and working directly in its production, he is in charge of planting other species that accompany the cocoa trees. He does research on biodiversity and is a naturalist with a fierce gaze and feline intuition. Alejo also guides visitors on the farm and gives workshops on the permacultural management of our crop and our reserve. We are planning our next tour for 2027! Join us for an unforgettable journey in Ecuador with EcoEndurance. Reach out at [email protected]. You can find more information about The Running Kind here. https://therunningkind.net/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/therunningkind/ @therunningkind_ Aimee Kohler  Founder of The Running Kind @aimskoh Produced by Aimee Kohler Music Dim Red Light by Don Dilego  

On today's episode, we are welcoming Rachel Bambrick to the show! Rachel is an ultramarathoner, running coach and founder of Women In Ultrarunning. Women In Ultrarunning's goal is to increase female involvement in the sport through fostering a supportive community and providing tools to enhance accessibility in ultrarunning. Rachel has finished multiple 100+ mile races and we are stoked to pick her brain about going long! Follow along Rachel and Women in Ultrarunning at @womeninultrarunning or https://www.womeninultrarunning.com/. You can find more information about The Running Kind here. https://therunningkind.net/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/therunningkind/ @therunningkind_ Aimee Kohler  Founder of The Running Kind @aimskoh Produced by Aimee Kohler Music Dim Red Light by Don Dilego  

Tom Hooper joins us on The Running Kind Podcast to chat all things mountain running. Tom is the owner and race director for Six03 Endurance. Within Six03 Endurance you can find several iconic trail races based in New Hampshire, including but not limited to, Loon Mountain Race and Sunapee Scramble. Both of these difficult mountain running events have been the host for several USATF Mountain Running Team Championships. In today's episode we dive into sub-ultra appreciation, the growth of trail running and the importance of grassroots events. Follow along his races at @six03endurance or https://six03endurance.com/. You can find more information about The Running Kind here. https://therunningkind.net/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/therunningkind/ @therunningkind_ Aimee Kohler  Founder of The Running Kind @aimskoh Produced by Aimee Kohler Music Dim Red Light by Don Dilego  

The Running Kind ambassador, Emily Fisk, joins our episode today. Her background is in nutrition, registered dietician, and healthcare administration so we took a deep dive into all things nutrition in this episode. In addition to being a nutrition guru, she is a competitive trail runner & ultramarathoner. You can find more information about The Running Kind here. https://therunningkind.net/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/therunningkind/ @therunningkind_ Aimee Kohler  Founder of The Running Kind @aimskoh Produced by Aimee Kohler Music Dim Red Light by Don Dilego  

2025 has come to a close… & was our most successful year yet! In today's episode, Aimee is joined by the fam! Mom (Dee) and Em both sit down with Aimee to chat about all the races of 2025 and what's coming up in a new year with The Running Kind. Here's an unfiltered look behind the scenes! See our 2026 race calendar here: https://therunningkind.net/ You can find more information about The Running Kind here. https://therunningkind.net/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/therunningkind/ @therunningkind_  Aimee Kohler  Founder of The Running Kind @aimskoh Produced by Aimee Kohler Music Dim Red Light by Don Dilego  

On today's episode of The Running Kind Podcast, Aimee is joined by Sandi Nypaver. Sandi is the winner of this year's Grindstone 100K, coming in 6th place overall. She is an accomplished trail runner, coach and co-founder of Higher Running and plant based athlete. She has had success across many different distances and disciplines. In this episode, we dive into what it looks like building strength as a vegan athlete and how her passions have collided in the running space.  https://higherrunning.com/plant-based/ Follow Sandi at @sandinypaver or @the_kind_alternative on Instagram. You can find more information about The Running Kind here. https://therunningkind.net/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/therunningkind/ @therunningkind_ Aimee Kohler  Founder of The Running Kind @aimskoh Produced by Aimee Kohler Music Dim Red Light by Don Dilego  

On today's episode, we are welcoming Sofía Ramírez Hernández to the show! Sofía is a trail runner and artist based out of Michigan. She is a part of several different organizations including No Surrender Running Club, Switchback Endurance, Huron 100 and of course, Sofía Draws Every Day. In this episode we dive into the connection between art and trail running and how a daily practice has shifted Sofía's perspective on goal setting. Connect with Sofía on Instagram at @sofiadrawseveryday! https://www.sofiadrawseveryday.com/ You can find more information about The Running Kind here. https://therunningkind.net/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/therunningkind/ @therunningkind_ Aimee Kohler  Founder of The Running Kind @aimskoh Produced by Aimee Kohler Music Dim Red Light by Don Dilego  

Josh Fernandez joins us on today's episode of The Running Kind Podcast. Josh is the Executive Director of Queer Run and they are passionate about queer advocacy and equality in the running space. Queer Run is dedicated to creating safe spaces for Philadelphia-area LGBTQIA+ athletes and allies of all running paces. They welcome people from all backgrounds to join them for their free weekly group runs. Follow Queer Run or Josh on Instagram at @queerrun or @joshadelphia. You can find more information about The Running Kind here. https://therunningkind.net/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/therunningkind/ @therunningkind_ Aimee Kohler  Founder of The Running Kind @aimskoh Produced by Aimee Kohler Music Dim Red Light by Don Dilego  

Aimee is joined by professional trail runner, Michelle Merlis on today's episode of The Running Kind Podcast. Michelle has been hitting the trails since 2014 and has run as a professional SkyRunner and for Team USA at the Mountain Running World Championship in 2022. This year Michelle has expanded her coaching business with MNTN Goat Running while also battling with her body fighting a tick-borne illness. With a shared passion for environmentalism, we shared many thoughts on today's episode about the intersection of climate activism in sport. Follow Michelle at @mntngoatrunning or @mountain.runner.michelle You can find more information about The Running Kind here. https://therunningkind.net/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/therunningkind/ @therunningkind_ Aimee Kohler  Founder of The Running Kind @aimskoh Produced by Aimee Kohler Music Dim Red Light by Don Dilego